Canada Instates Language Tests for Some Immigrants

Canada has become a popular destination for studying abroad, as noted in the April 2011 issue. Canada has also become an ideal location for immigration as well. CBC News recently reported that people immigrating to Canada will have to show fluency in either French or English. The language tests will be instated in June and will be mandatory for those applying to low or semi-skilled jobs.

The new policy was based on past research that immigrants who have a certain level of language have more social mobility.

“Speaking to Saskatchewan, this is an English-speaking society,” commented Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in an interview with CBC News. “You can’t succeed in a society if you don’t have the capacity to communicate in it. And it’s unfair, I think, to newcomers to make them believe otherwise.”

Kenney also noted that the new policy was to avoid mistakes Western European countries have had with immigration.

“A lot of these so-called ghettos, which are characterized by social exclusion and all sorts of problems, came about because those governments brought in people with low levels of education and little or no language proficiency,” remarked Kenney.

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August 2007: Moscow Moves to Promote Russian Half of Ukrainian
citizens want legalization of Russian language;
May 2008: Possible One-State Language for UkraineJuly 2009: Ukraine House Speaker Calls for Acceptance;
October 2011: Russian language in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova;
January 2012: Ukraine Language Policy Approved;
April 2012: Ukraine Considers Making Russian Official;
July 2012: Ukraine Passes Russian Bill amid Clashes

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